This paper provides a survey on recent developments in the European banking industry. Traditional banking activities … have contracted in relative terms, but banks remain the predomination players in the euro area financial system. Economic … assets and liabilities on EU banks' balance sheets is still modest but rising sharply. So far, mergers and acquisitions have …

This paper reviews the empirical literature on the corporate governance of banks. We start by highlighting the main … differences between banks and non-financial firms and focus on three characteristics which make banks special: (i) regulation, (ii …) the capital structure of banks, and (iii) the complexity and opacity of their business and structure. Next, we discuss the …

We investigate whether banks use of loan loss provisions (LLPs) to manage the level and volatility of their earnings … and examine the implications for bank risk. We find that banks use LLPs to manage the level and volatility of earnings … downward when they are abnormally high and when expected dividends are lower than current earnings. Moreover, banks adjust LLPs …

and conduct. In particular, this study focuses on differences across countries, variously sized banks (reflecting distinct … observed large spreads in inefficiencies and cost levels across countries and individual banks indicate that the process of … scaling up and rationalisation to be prepared for increased foreign competition, has - for at least part of the banks - only …

banks. However if in extreme scenarios the LCR becomes a binding constraint, the interaction of bank behaviour with the …

When does the general public lose trust in banks? We provide empirical evidence using responses by Dutch survey …. Negative media reports, falling stock prices, and opaque product information also affect trust in banks. Experiencing a bank …

We investigate 62 Dutch banks' liquidity behaviour between January 2004 and March 2010, when these banks were subject … to a liquidity regulation that is very similar to Basel III's Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR). We find that most banks … the regulation. More solvent banks hold fewer liquid assets against their stock of liquid liabilities, suggesting an …